A 41-year-old man was forced to surrender his car keys at knife point today outside a South Plainfield fast-food restaurant by an assailant who then drove off in his 1992 Toyota Corolla, police said.

The victim was leaving the Burger King on Park Avenue at 1 a.m. when the thief approached and asked for ride, Lt. James Parker said. The man refused, and the attacker put a knife to his chest, Parker said.

The suspect took the keys and drove north on Park Avenue toward Plainfield, Parker said. He said the victim was not injured.

The robber was described as African-American, 25- to 30-years-old, about 5-foot, 8-inches tall with shoulder-length hair in dreadlocks, wearing a dark coat and a Yankees baseball cap.